Catching up with P-Nats new GM Josh Olerud
By Editorial Staff
I want to thank Josh Olerud the newly named GM of the Potomac Nationals for spending some time out of his busy day to sit down and answer a couple questions for Teddy Never Wins.
Josh brings a lot of experience to the plate having held positions as Vice President of Sales (2 years) and General Manager (5 years) for the Rockford RiverHawks of the independent Northern League. While with the RiverHawks the team saw a significant growth in sponsorship and he oversaw the teams transition in to not only a new stadium but a new league as well. Having handled the changing of stadiums and leagues leads me to believe that Josh will be able to handle the tasks of being a GM for the P-Nats and I wish him and the team good luck this season.
Being the first time that I’ve ever talked to Josh I wanted to keep things kind of short and easy and hopefully once the season starts and has gotten underway I will get the chance to talk to him again about how the actual season is going.
So here is my interview with Josh Olerud….
First I just want to say congratulations on being named the new General Manager of the Potomac Nationals.
You are taking over as a GM of a team that is coming off of having been crowned the 2010 Carolina League champions and have had quite a bit of success in general as of late. They are currently at 4 straight winning seasons and were the Carolina League Champions in 2008 as well as 2010. So it appears that the Nationals organization has continued to do a good job at filling the roster with good top prospects as well as quality minor league level talent.
So what do you think the fans can expect from the P-Nats going in to the 2011 season?
"“One thing that has stayed consistent through out the years is that the fans can expect GREAT family, affordable, entertainment while watching the future stars of the Washington Nationals. The Nats have great talent in their minor league systems and our fans get to see the talent here. Our fans are also expecting to see the P-Nats in the Carolina League playoffs, as we have won the Mills Cup two of the last three seasons.”"
The Potomac Nationals in my opinion have been doing an amazing job at providing a fun family experience with not only the on field play of the team but with some of the promotions that they have done in recent years.
So can fans expect more great deals and events at the park this season such as $1 day where hot dogs and tickets each cost a dollar and fan family fun day where fans can get the chance to get an autograph before the game and kids get to run the base paths?
"“We pride ourselves on providing the best family entertainment in Northern Virginia. Each game brings different elements and we provide a different experience each night. You can always expect great deals on Mondays with our $1 dogs, two for Tuesdays, Belly Buster Wednesday, Cheers Thursdays, Premium Giveaways on Fridays, Saturday Night Fireworks Spectaculars and Family Days on Sundays. All these days are combined with theme nights, celebrity visits, crazy promotions, movie nights, family camp outs, and list goes on and on.”"
I also have noticed in interviews where you were quoted as saying “We’re going to revamp our on-field presence with our giveaways,” as well as having said “We’re going to give you something when you walk in the gates that you haven’t seen before.”
Just reading these quotes caught my interest so is there anything that you can talk about at this moment or at least give fans a small peak at what things it is you have in mind? or are we going to just have to wait and see?
"“I can’t give away everything you will see this year, but what I can say is that you will see more variety of food, different on-field promotions, video board fan interaction, top notch giveaways, and some things you will have to be here to see!”"
When I first saw your name I automatically wondered if you were any relation to John Olerud who I’m sure baseball fans remember. While looking a little deeper in to your background in baseball not only did I find out he was your cousin but I also discovered you played a little baseball as well in high school.
So what position did you play in high school and do you have any big memories from those days such as state championships, being named all conference or maybe just a big hit or something?
"“I have great memories from playing in high school, legion and amateur ball. It’s hard to pick one, probably my junior year when I struck out 16 batters or getting my first varsity hit as a Freshman.”"
I also read that you are Minnesota Twins fan (of course the Nats Im guessing the Nats are your favorite NL team now) so I want to go ahead and wrap this up with some Twins related questions.
Who was your favorite Minnesota Twins player growing up?
"“My favorite player growing up was Kent Hrbek. Not only was he a Twin great, he grew up about 8 blocks from where I did and we attended the same High School.”"
Who is your favorite current Minnesota Twins player?
"“This is a tough one but I have to go with Minnesota’s very own Joe Mauer. Being from Minnesota, he’s a big time fan favorite. As a baseball guy, you have to be impressed with what he has accomplished already with how young he is. Its going to be fun watching him play in a Twins uniform for years to come.”"
Again I want to thank Josh Olerud on behalf of not only myself but Teddy Never Wins as well and good luck Josh to you as well as the Potomac Nationals in to 2011. I can’t wait for the season to start so that I can bring the fans some coverage on how you all are doing.
For any fans that want to keep up to date with the goings on with the P-Nats or are interested in checking out ticket prices or anything of that nature you can check check out the teams official site at
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t436
The Potomac Nationals are the Advanced Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals and are located in Woodbridge Virginia. They provide fans of all ages with a reasonably priced as well as fun and memorable experience so for any baseball fans in the Woodbridge area or within driving distance and want to check out a baseball game I suggest they drop in and watch the Potomac Nationals sometime this season.
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